onion pakora

 

One of my favorite street snacks - onion pakora that is smashed inside a small bun (pav). Yum yum. My previous cook would make us this all the time, but now I have to get it on the roadside just like the rest of Mumbai!

always full of laughter

 

Walking down by the fisher village I ran into these colourful and laughing ladies. As soon as they saw the camera they ran to get the basket of dried fish to put on their heads to "show" me how they work! It was so cute and they were really enjoying it, so to share in their joy, I must post this photo!

boys will be boys...

 

kids climbing the walls -- literally!

demolitions

Last year in May I showed a photo of shanty's on the side of the road that were very colourful and full of life. I passed by that same slum today and this is what I saw. I knew it was coming, but thought maybe they had been spared since it had been so long. Unfortunately not... and I have no idea if they were really rehoused or just set out on the streets to rebuild their lives from scratch again. Each of the colour "boxes" that you see on the wall are the marking of individual homes....

more of the good times

 

Kingfisher also recently started an airline that has quickly become one of the best in India. Their service follows in the early tradition of Virgin. The planes are older, but have been redone quite nicely. Even on short domestic flights you are served a meal of some sort and can watch the progress of the flight on your personal screen. Three years ago there were only 2 airlines - now there are 7 or more, but Kingfisher is one of the best in my opinion!

time for the good times

 

Its Saturday night and the city is preparing to go out to the bars, clubs and discos. And at most of these places, Kingfisher will be the beer of choice. Its relatively cheap (outside of the bars) and readily available!

police duty

At the gateway of india, one of mumbai's more famous tourist attractions. Police lining up in the morning for roll call it appears.

Nehru centre

This tower built to remember and honor Jawaharlal Nehru in 1972 is a cultural center on the grounds of the planetarium and neighboring the interactive science center in central Mumbai. Tempting to roll down this hill of green grass, don't see that often in the city.

no cannes

The french one that is, but our popular mumbai beach, chowpatty is a great way to beat the heat. Funny to me, chowpatty means beach in hindi (is this correct or is this me learning mumbai speak again?) so when you say you are going to 'chowpatty beach', you are actually saying I am gong to 'beach beach'!

egg delivery

A common scene in Mumbai, the egg delivery man, maybe after a couple of deliveries he will ride the bike. I have yet to see them fall. This photo was courtesy of Waltz Photography, friends who visited several countries around the world last year and while in Mumbai got this one. They did a travel blog in their year round the world.

borivli monkey

From Borivli National Park. Just read an article on the increase in wildlife in the park, leopards, deer and monkeys included. Borivli is a north western suburb in Mumbai and the national park there has beautiful greenery, the Kanheri buddhist caves and I am told lions. It is best to be cautious around these monkeys, I heard they will steal mobiles, they are familiar with tourists in their park and beg for food from them.

Victoria Terminus

I am aware this is the third posting of this building, including inside and out, but there are probably 20 others that could be posted and you would get a different viewpoint. For example at night, lit up. This is World Heritage site and to be cleaned up soon Great example of Victorian architecture in Mumbai and hope many other examples are preserved.

bike parking

I miss riding my bike. (think i have mentioned that on a previous post) Although Mumbai must be one of the most polluted cities in the world (not sure of their current ranking or the criteria) a lot of the population (in this case delivery persons) uses bicycles for transport. Of course, riding your bike is one of the ways that is marketed for decreasing pollution in the US, but I recall an environmental health lecture claiming that industry was actually a bigger polluter than individuals.

I still think bike riding is a good way to reduce emissions and encourage physical activity! did I say I miss bike riding? traffic is a bit chaotic here, I only ride when in the village areas.

oh so India!

This picture is very India to me.. not so much Mumbai anymore though as many of the roads don't feel so quaint. But in some of the smaller neighborhoods less developed and taken over by the elite, this is still the feel.

matching

 

This adorable girl on the train was more than happy to have her photo taken. I am not sure that she realized though that her sari matched her oranges for sale!

parrots at play

 

Most mornings I am greeted to the sound of parrots playing on the wires outside my window - usually its just one or two, but this morning there was an entire flock of them - here's a couple playing on the wires! They are wild here, but people capture them and keep them as pets, but I'm not sure if its legal or not. I'd much rather see them in the wild than in a small cage sitting in front of someone's house.

drying papads

 

I think Robbie might have posted a photo of this before, but I couldn't find it today, so here you go.. papads drying in the sun. Papads, often called Poppadoms in the west, are the crispy flat breads often given at the beginning of a meal in Indian establishments in the West. Here.. I eat them all the time - great to pick up the last bits of curry or great as a snack! Of course mine are store bought, but probably still come from someone's home who dried them in the sun this way.

afterhours rolling shop

 

After all of the shops have closed and the bars have let out their drunken patrons you often see these guys riding around selling cigarettes and other items that someone drunk feels they must have! This guy's ride was pretty cool though with all the flashing lights!

cruising sadhu

 

Last night we saw this Sadhu cruising along on his bicycle and it just looked too cool to pass up!

hot club de paris

 

One thing I miss most from the west is live indie rock bands! I've tried out the local bands in Mumbai on several occasions, but most often they are cover bands or heavy metal. Last night was a treat though - a real live indie rock band from Liverpool played at the Hard Rock Cafe, sponsored by the British Council. The band was pretty good - but just the excitement of listing to live music made it worth it! I hope that the organizers saw that people are interested and try to bring other bands here (other than Bryan Adams and Sting which we do get!).

you never know..

 

You never know what you are going to be sitting behind in Mumbai traffic! You see these little tempos all over the city carrying a variety of items. This was on the way to Mahim/Dharavi area, so its either going to be recycled or refilled with cooking oil..

blue with a little red

 

I love windows and doors, especially in India where homes are often painted bright colours. I liked this old wooden shutter mostly because it still has evidence of the March Holi festivities splattered on it!

chairs custom made

 

I just loved these old wooden chairs... they even have "bottom" marks carved out so the seats are a bit more comfortable! Somedays I really miss the simple, mass produced furniture you often buy in the West, but when I see quality craftsmanship and creativity I wonder what the fuss is all about with "Ikea" type furniture!

same again.. in the day

 

We've shown this photo before in the night with the "ohm" sign lit up, but here it is in the daytime with a new building going up behind! As you can see by the construction worker standing at the edge, there are very few precautions taken for the day laborers who build everything you see in this city.

tire locks

 

This is the first time I have seen these in this city/country! I have started noticing tow trucks more as well. Normally on would be on the other side - feeling scared of these guys and always worrying if I had parked in the right place, but since I use public transportation here I am happy to see that this is one way that tax dollars are used. Cars are parked anywhere and everywhere here, which is often difficult for the pedestrian!

sunday at VT

 

Sunday morning at Victoria Terminus... relatively quiet which is a change from the hustle and bustle of weekdays.

Danger: Lights out

 

This is an electric circuit for Reliance, one of the biggest companies in India. They do everything from electricity, phones and now to grocery stores! As of now Bombay is one of the few places in India that do not experience regular power outages. We are lucky, but constantly there is talk about doing rolling blackouts during the hot season (now). But so far we haven't had one in my area, which is good. More and more businesses and apartment buildings come up each day - this problem is only going to get worse unless people conserve and the govt figures it out on their end. The other danger -- your outrageous electric bill each month!

shady by-lane

 

A small shady by-lane in a 'typical' (if there is such a thing here) neighborhood. Just love the rooster casually walking down the street!

Homeopathic Medicine

 

In India I was introduced to homeopathic medicine which is based on the "Principle of Similars". Its non toxic, uses no chemicals, etc. I have found that it works wonders with no side effects, which is an added bonus. This is a photo of my medicines being created right in front of my eyes! The bag with the little "balls" are sugar pills that "sucks" up the liquid substances created specifically for your ailment. For my "prescription" I take 10 of these 3 times a day and let them dissolve under my tongue. There are also crushed 'balls' that you have to put under your tongue once a week and lastly a foul tasting liquid that I have to take in 22 drops twice a day!

Clean Green Mumbai?

 

We care" -- does the governement care about a Clean Green Mumbai? I like this sign.. its like they think that the public can be convinced of this just by signs, but as you can see by all the rubbish behind the sign, its not reaching the people it should!